Prosecution Appeals Against Not Guilty Verdict for Lee Eunhae on Direct Murder Charge Despite Life Sentence

"First Instance Judgment, Misunderstanding of Legal Principles and Misrecognition of Facts"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The prosecution has appealed the first trial verdict that acquitted Lee Eun-hae (31), who was indicted for the "Valley Murder" case, of direct murder charges.

On the 31st, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office filed an appeal with the court against Lee's first trial verdict, which recently sentenced her to life imprisonment on charges including murder and attempted murder. The prosecution also appealed the first trial verdict of Cho Hyun-soo (30), who was sentenced to 30 years in prison as Lee's accomplice.

The prosecution stated the reason for the appeal, saying, "The first trial verdict that acquitted Lee and Cho of direct murder charges misunderstood the law and misinterpreted the facts." They added, "The sentencing of 30 years for Cho, who was originally prosecuted for life imprisonment, is unjust."

Earlier, the first trial court judged that this case was not a direct (commission) murder by gaslighting (psychological domination), but an indirect (omission) murder by deliberately not rescuing the victim who drowned after diving.

Lee submitted an appeal immediately the day after the first trial sentencing, while Cho has not yet filed an appeal with the court.

Lee was arrested and indicted on charges including the murder of her husband Yoon (39 at the time of death) on June 30, 2019, at around 8:24 p.m. in Yongsogye Valley, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, together with her lover Cho.

The prosecution judged that they killed Yoon, who could not swim, by forcing him to jump from a 4-meter-high rock into a 3-meter-deep valley pool without any rescue equipment.

They are also accused of previously attempting to kill Yoon in February and May 2019 by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish poison and by drowning him in a fishing pond.

The prosecution explained that they planned the crime aiming for the 800 million won life insurance money taken out in Yoon's name.

Lee and Cho disappeared before the prosecution's second investigation in December last year and were caught by the police in April this year, four months later, at an officetel near Samsong Station in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.